Few players in NFL history can match the heights that Calvin Johnson achieved in his career.
Although playing for a Lions team often plays badly, Johnson has always been one of the best wide-reaching players in the NFL. In 9 years, he had 7 seasons with at least 1,000 yards received, 3 of which saw him hit more than 1,400 yards. Four times, he got at least 12 touchdowns. All of his final seasons in the league have seen him averaging over 14 yards per catch, and last year he averaged 13.8.
That’s all before you remember that Johnson holds the NFL record for yards received in a season, set at 1,964 in 2012.
His then quarterback, Matthew Stafford, is now trying to help another recipient reach that milestone. Cooper Kupp is the league’s player of the year in 2021, having hit 1,366 meters in the air this season. With five matches remaining, thanks to the 17th game added to the schedule, Kupp has a chance to hit the record set by Megatron.
Can he do it? Sporting News breaks down his chances.
THAN: Will TJ Watt or Myles Garrett break the NFL sack record?
Can Cooper Kupp catch Calvin Johnson?
Jerry Rice’s 1,848-yard record, set in 1995, lasted for a long time until Johnson broke it in 2012. Now, Stafford hopes to help another teammate, this one with the Rams, break the record of one season.
This year, Kupp is the only player with 100 touches (100 to be exact) and he leads the league with 1,366 receptions and 11 touches. He averages 113.8 yards per game. Kupp was graded by PFF has a collection point of 90.9, the fifth highest in the league. He and Tyler Lockett are also tied for best received passes scores for passes over 20 yards down the field at 99.9, and his 78s for HandsDrop are tied with Stefon Diggs for starters. best in the league, according to PFF.
At nearly 600 meters from Johnson, Kupp will have to have some dynamic games in the long run. This is who he is playing.
| Week | Team | Rec Yards to WR | PFF . Insurance |
| 14 | Quantily | 1,649 (4th place) | 73.5 (T-7) |
| 15 | Seahawks | 1,859 (13th) | 45.3 (28th) |
| 16 | Vikings | 2,279 (30th) | 65.9 (18th) |
| 17 | Ravens | 2,079 (26th) | 54,5 (23rd) |
| 18 | 49ers | 1,896 (17th) | 72.3 (11th) |
That’s not too shabby. The biggest challenge will undoubtedly be the Cardinals, who have not only been a strong passing defense, but also kept Kupp for just 64 yards in the five receptions the last time the two played each other. Last time he faced the Seahawks, he caught 7 passes in 92 yards, and when playing with the 49ers, he had 122 yards out of 11 catches.
Kupp has been a steady receiver this season, with the game against Arizona marking the only time he has been held for less than 90 yards. He has five more than 120 yards in a game, and twice has more than 150 yards. To set the record, he would have to average 119.8 yards per game. This is a bit above his season average, but with games with foam-passing defenses like Seattle, Minnesota and Baltimore, he has some potential for the games. big.
It also helped Kupp that even when Stafford was injured, the veteran quarterback still aired it regularly. Stafford has managed to make at least 26 passes a week this season, and in his past four games – in which the Rams drew only 1-4 – he has averaged 41, 3 times per game.
In Kupp’s first five games of the season, he averaged 104.6 yards per game with 11.2 goals and 7.4 hits. However, he and Stafford have connected in recent weeks because in his past seven games, Kupp has averaged 120.4 yards per game, 11.4 goals and nine receptions. His 16-game average during this period would put him at 1,927 yards received.
Johnson experienced a similar flow to the season, starting relative slow before picking it up near the end. He’s had three games over 100 yards in his first seven games of the season and is averaging just 91.1 yards per game. However, in the final nine games of the season, he averaged 147.3 yards per game, scoring two games for more than 200 yards, another with more than 170 and just one under 118 hits. He averages 14.3 goals and nine touchdowns per game. If he maintains that pace for 16 games of the season, he will hit 2,357 receiving yards.
